[BC] online assistance

[Barry Mishkind]

At 12:55 AM 2/14/2009, Chip Fetrow wrote:

>But, I stand behind my other comments, if you have a $200,000
>project, buying real experience is worthwhile.

         Chip, the point, in of itself, is valid. But
         I don't think anyone on this list would really
         disagree with that.

>And, now I get it.  I have friends who READ this list, but nearly
>never post.  I now understand why.

         If you (or they) think that some posters
         reply in an poor way, that is sad but true.
         Unless I take this list and vet each post
         before it goes on line, I can't stop every
         single little unkind line.

         But I can tell you from over 20 years
         of experience, that this list is one of the
         most friendly and helpful on the Internet.
         Most of the nastiness and meanness
         has been weeded out of BC. Threads
         that diverge greatly from broadcasting or
         become heated are usually diverted to
         the Alternate Frequency. (It is interesting
         to see the mix of heated and/or erudite
         posts there.)  Those who want to start
         flamewars are discouraged - and occasionally
         have had their posting privileges lifted.

         In fact, to those who "nearly never post" I will
         repeat something I have written privately to
         many: the strength of this list is when we do
         not hold back, allowing a few people to dominate
         a discussion. By "nearly never post[ing]" you
         not only deprive the list of your knowledge and
         experience, but you abandon the list to the
         very ones you suggest are a problem.

         Trust me. Anytime I see flames starting, I quickly
         call in the firefighters. I can't sit here 24/7 unless
         someone wants to pay for that (<g>) so I don't
         always catch them immediately. But we are
         getting better at it, and in removing those who
         react to flames with more of the same.

         If someone has an issue, or a private question,
         I am always willing to read and respond.

         Lurkers unite!  The more folks who post anything -
         from questions to answers to news in your market -
         the better the list will be for everyone.

         I'll leave this with one more comment: How many
         remember the collegial atmosphere in the 80s, when
         someone with a problem would alert the local
         engineering community and get help in hours, sometimes
         minutes?  Consolidation has stolen a lot of that
         from us. This list is one way to "give something back"
         and benefit from others. After all, "free" does not
         mean free from responsibility to others.

         thanks.